Patreon Acquires Kit To Add Merch To Subscriptions

Patreon has acquired merchandise logistics startup Kit to create to add swag to its fan-to-creator patronage platform and build "a simpler way to fulfill automated 'merch for membership'.

Details of the Patreon deal were not disclosed, but Kit had raised $2.5 million in 2016 from investors including Social Capital, Expa, #Angels, Precursor and Stanford’s StartX.  90% of  the Kit team will join San Francisco-based Patreon, making the move from their current NYC offices next year. 

"One of the most effective ways creators build a growing and sustainable membership is by selling merch. Patrons want something personalized, a physical artifact to connect them to the creator –  and the more unique the better," says Patreon VP of Product Wyatt Jenkins. " But today, merch is unnecessarily painful for creators; we’ve talked to heaps of creators who spend time stuffing envelopes, researching the lowest prices on shipping, and take endless trips to the post office. We want to make merch easy. A simple solution empowering creators to easily add merch to their membership business, and connect deeply with their biggest fans."